MANAKAMANA / July 11, 12, 13

June 20, 2014 - July 15, 2014

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July 11, 12, 13

In central Nepal, tiny cable cars travel up and down the breathtaking mountain landscape, transporting pilgrims to the ancient Manakamana temple. The cable-car line linking a mountain village in Nepal with the isolated seventeenth-century temple of the title, devoted to the Hindu goddess Bhagwati, is both the subject and the sole location of this serenely revelatory documentary. Stephanie Spray and Pacho Velez filmed 11 different cable car journeys in full, each lasting nearly ten minutes (the same length as the rolls of super 16mm film on which they shoot). A miracle of nonfiction cinema casting, Spray and Velez’s carefully configured movie delivers captivating characters, one after another. With a hypnotic rhythm, this memorable work of slow cinema allows us to closely observe compelling faces and bodies responding to the camera, conveying everything from boredom to amusement to astonishment. (117 min)

Critic’s Pick!- The New York Times

You could hardly ask for a more beautiful vision of souls in transit. – Time Out, New York

Radiates incredible compassion and insight. Produced by the directors of last year’s brilliant documentary, Leviathan, Manakamana couldn’t be more different, utilizing a similarly uncompromising approach but one that’s far more contemplative and lovely. If Leviathan showed us the primal terror of everyday life, this new film is a warm hug, a salute to our shared humanity.